Canterbury Poets' Collective - Poetry in Performance

We’re laying the foundation to ensure that Canterbury’s most iconic poetry reading series can continue to bring the best, most diverse list of poets from around the motu to you!

Every year since its inception in 1990, the Canterbury Poets’ Collective (CPC) has delivered a series of Poetry in Performance readings, making us the longest-running such event in the country. Since 2023 this has been split into two four-week seasons, one in the autumn and one in the spring.

Each season, we bring in 4 or 5 nationally acclaimed poets from across Aotearoa New Zealand to read alongside local poets, both established and emerging. Each night also features a legendary open mic session, open to all – a launchpad for many new voices.

Whether an established poet testing out a new piece, a newcomer just discovering (or re-discovering) this thing called poetry, or simply someone who loves to hear words worked well, the CPC readings provide our community with a warm, welcoming space to develop their art, and to hear – and be heard by – some of the most incredible poets from around Aotearoa New Zealand.

Why we need your help

Each season costs $1,800-$2,000 to produce – we strongly believe in paying our readers a fee for their appearance, and contributing toward their travel. That’s $3,600-$4,000 per year. Any profits we make go back to supporting the next season and broadening our pool of potential guest poets. The funding we’re seeking will allow us to plan longer term, rather than each season being precariously dependant on the surplus of the last.

By supporting this project, you will ensure we can keep going for the next 5 years, help us grow stronger as a poetry hub for Canterbury, and build momentum to help creative communities like ours thrive.

To get our project over the line, we’re reaching out to our community to raise $20,000.

This will cover:  

• Travel and accommodation expenses for all of our out-of-town poets for five years
• Reading fees for all of our guest poets (out-of-town and local) for five years
• Graphic design and signage to support each season for five years

We are also very grateful for the venue sponsorship that Ara has provided us for more than a decade – and to Madras Café Bookshop before them, and the WEA before them.

Who has been a guest reader at a CPC Poetry in Performance night?

We’ve hosted more than 200 poets from around Aotearoa New Zealand. People we’ve welcomed in recent years include Chris Tse and David Eggleton (the current and previous New Zealand Poets Laureate); Ockham award winners Tusiata Avia, Anne Kennedy, Megan Kitching, and Joanna Preston; esteemed and much-loved poets like Kevin Ireland, Vincent O’Sullivan, John Allison, Robert Sullivan, Renee Liang, Serie Barford, Rachel McAlpine, James Norcliffe, Erik Kennedy, Oscar Upperton, Jeffery Paparoa Holman, and Majella Cullinane, alongside emerging local poets like Catherine Fitchett, Dylan Kemp, Jenna Heller, Rebecca Ball, Melanie McKerchar, and poets from the Hagley Writers’ Institute and Write On: School for Young Writers.

Coming up in October 2024: Hinemoana Baker, Jor Dansaren, Philomena Johnson, Richard von Sturmer, Tarn Wright, Marjory Woodfield, Sue Wootton, Davien Gray, Cadence Chung, Dan Goodwin, and the Airing Cupboard Women Poets… and maybe YOU!

To learn more, visit:  https://canterburypoets.org.nz/poetry-in-performance/

About us

Grounded in Canterbury and centred in Ōtautahi Christchurch, the Canterbury Poets’ Collective (CPC) is a diverse community of poets, organised by a small, passionate committee of volunteers. A poetry hub within Canterbury for more than 30 years, the CPC provides a warm and welcoming platform for established and emerging poets. Help us keep the Canterbury Poets’ Collective thriving!